Trail Tool Time
- Thread starter Mabman
- Start date
Bad-Latitude
Active member
I made my own version of a Mcleod tool. Works pretty well for cutting / scraping and as a tamper too.
I found a few pics of that spade thing you mentioned. Looks kinda useless to me. But maybe you guys don’t “dig-it” over there
Ace of spades
Spade anchor.
Kate Spade
Spade drill bit.
Mabman
E*POWAH Elite World Champion
- Thread starter
- #65
The other day I came across about a 5" dia. spruce blow down on one of our trails. I always carry a folding saw and thought no problem I'll just get it out and have it gone. Well as we have been using mainly our battery powered chainsaws for trail work I guess I hadn't used it for awhile and I forgot what a POS it was. Ok for up to 2" dia. but a total workout for the one that I had run into. I persevered and got the job done but decided it was time for a better pack saw.
I went for the econo full star review version on Amazon and it didn't disappoint. Way more aggressive tooth profile as well as a wider set. Still have to pay attention to how you attack the cut to avoid pinching but that cut above took me less than 30 secs up to that point whereas my other saw would have taken 3 minutes and some blue air....So I am calling my new purchase a success and got all the other blowdowns cleared as well. It has been very windy here of late.
I went for the econo full star review version on Amazon and it didn't disappoint. Way more aggressive tooth profile as well as a wider set. Still have to pay attention to how you attack the cut to avoid pinching but that cut above took me less than 30 secs up to that point whereas my other saw would have taken 3 minutes and some blue air....So I am calling my new purchase a success and got all the other blowdowns cleared as well. It has been very windy here of late.
Finally dulled the last of 5 Milwaukee 12” pruning blades for the sawzall. Those lasted me 2 years+, but I use them a lot.
The folding saw is fairly handy for those smallish blowdown, and I can just fit it in my hip-pac.
MountainBoy
Active member
Your handle is "Stihldog" and you don't have a chainsaw?
O.K. then, I love my gas Stihl's for bigger stuff but the tiny Milwaulkee M12 Fuel cordless chainsaw is the ticket for light trailwork. For it's size and weight it packs a punch and, perhaps more importantly, the batteries last a long time. I'm sure they say it is dangerous, but I use it one-handed all the time (just watch what you are doing). The brushless motor is considerably more efficient than cheaper small cordless saws and the trigger is variable speed. The secret to the long battery life, besides the efficient motor and controller is the short bar. Don't run more chain than you need because chains have a lot of drag. This is the mighty-mini I'm talking about:
Mine is older and has plastic "bucking spikes" (if you can call them that on a saw this small) but it sounds like they have upgraded them to metal. The thing runs a long time on a tiny battery and has surprising power for its diminutive size.
I bought a DeWalt 20V MAX XR with a 12" bar, but it pretty much sucks batteries and lacks cutting power/speed considering the much larger heavier battery I use with it.
MountainBoy
Active member
That's not a Douglas Fir, the bark is wrong, the saw chips are too white (Doug Fir is quite orange-looking) and it has too much branching for the size of the trunk.
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Mabman
E*POWAH Elite World Champion
- Thread starter
- #69
We have one of those and plenty of batteries from our Milwaukee collection. Super handy trail tool for sure. Short bars do run the chain faster for sure. When we used to cut pecker poles bitd we'd only use 16" bars. The trees weren't that big and chainspeed was the hot ticket for limbing especially.
One thing for sure though when you ride mainly in a place that is not used by many others trail work just becomes part of the process and you are apt to find blowdowns at any time. The big ones on the logging roads we leave alone as to not piss off the owners but anything that crosses our trail network is fair game.
One thing for sure though when you ride mainly in a place that is not used by many others trail work just becomes part of the process and you are apt to find blowdowns at any time. The big ones on the logging roads we leave alone as to not piss off the owners but anything that crosses our trail network is fair game.
There are three types of trees in this area. Fir, Hemlock and Red Cedar. Definitely not a cedar. A hemlock has specific bark and a specific smell when it’s cut.
The bark on this tree looks to smooth to be a fir, but when you cut into it it smells like fir, feels like fir, and the chips look like fir. This was a dead tree , 70’ 90’ tall, broke off at about 10’, and was very hairy. You’re right to say that the bark is a wrong texture and the chips or colour is not pinkish-orange-white. But the chips were orange-white when I cut it and the limbs were very big and tough to cut. I counted the rings and it’s about 80-85 years old. That’s about the time when logging took place in this area.
Maybe it’s a hemlock. But it sure didn’t smell like a hemlock. The base, or stump looked like fir bark (10’-12’ high). There was clearly rot at that point …where it broke. It’s difficult to identify …but if you could see the bark at the stump …it’s clearly a fir.
About 20+ years ago I had to decide quickly (during a video game signup, falcon 4?) on a handle. StihlDawg would have been too cheesy. So I went with Stihldog instead …another cheesy handle lol.Your handle is "Stihldog" and you don't have a chainsaw?
O.K. then, I love my gas Stihl's for bigger stuff but the tiny Milwaulkee M12 Fuel cordless chainsaw is the ticket for light trailwork. For it's size and weight it packs a punch and, perhaps more importantly, the batteries last a long time. I'm sure they say it is dangerous, but I use it one-handed all the time (just watch what you are doing). The brushless motor is considerably more efficient than cheaper small cordless saws and the trigger is variable speed. The secret to the long battery life, besides the efficient motor and controller is the short bar. Don't run more chain than you need because chains have a lot of drag. This is the mighty-mini I'm talking about:
View attachment 117160
Mine is older and has plastic "bucking spikes" (if you can call them that on a saw this small) but it sounds like they have upgraded them to metal. The thing runs a long time on a tiny battery and has surprising power for its diminutive size.
I bought a DeWalt 20V MAX XR with a 12" bar, but it pretty much sucks batteries and lacks cutting power/speed considering the much larger heavier battery I use with it.
The spikes, on a chainsaw, used for gripping a tree or log, is called a dawg (sic).When we knew we were going to be falling in a fir patch…I would install a big dawg on my Stihl. Stretch your hand open as much as you can…it was bigger than that. Sticking a dawg in the back of your leg or calf was not very funny. Generally I used a medium sized dawg for most trees.
I also used a 36” bar for most trees. Less kick-back action on a longer bar also. IMO, a 36” bar is safer than an 18” bar. The centrifical spin on a small saw is fast. Sometimes too fast, during a kickback, for anyone to react. I’ve seen a few bad results from kickback. All were on smaller saws and bars.
My battery powered Milwaukee has an 18” bar(? Edit 16”). I’ve only got 5amp batteries (9) but this saw can use a bigger battery 12amp. The 12amp battery cost more than the saw, wtf
. So I carry 3-4 of my batteries with me. I think the 12amp battery would give me more power …so I could really dawg in 
. I’m still getting use to the smaller chain for filing and raker depth though.I don’t use the chainsaw all the time. Usually the sawzall or folding pruning saw is good enough.
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Your handle is "Stihldog" and you don't have a chainsaw?
O.K. then, I love my gas Stihl's for bigger stuff but the tiny Milwaulkee M12 Fuel cordless chainsaw is the ticket for light trailwork. For it's size and weight it packs a punch and, perhaps more importantly, the batteries last a long time. I'm sure they say it is dangerous, but I use it one-handed all the time (just watch what you are doing). The brushless motor is considerably more efficient than cheaper small cordless saws and the trigger is variable speed. The secret to the long battery life, besides the efficient motor and controller is the short bar. Don't run more chain than you need because chains have a lot of drag. This is the mighty-mini I'm talking about:
View attachment 117160
Mine is older and has plastic "bucking spikes" (if you can call them that on a saw this small) but it sounds like they have upgraded them to metal. The thing runs a long time on a tiny battery and has surprising power for its diminutive size.
I was just looking at these, they offer a 15cm or 20cm bar option (6” or 8”). Do you think it would pull the 8” bar ok, or better to stick to the 6” and get a real saw out if I need to go bigger?
I’m riding by this blowdown again today so I’ll try to take a picture of the stump. You’ve got me curious
now. I’m ready to eat my words. My only excuse would be that it was friggen cold 
outside. The smaller handheld battery operated saws are nice. 6”-8” Makita, Dewalt, Milwaukee …I don’t know which one is better. I’m in the Milwaukee eco system for batteries so my tools can interchange. I just need a bigger 12amp battery for the chainsaw. (Bigger is better apparently
).I don’t know how many Stihl chainsaws I’ve owned but I usually bought 2 new ones a year and kept the older ones as spares. So usually 6 saws at a time, 2 in each location. We got moved around by weather or priorities often so leaving our saws in the woods was fine. I did have one 084 Stihl and one smaller Stihl. Most of my time was as a company faller but if I went contract falling I was expected to provide my own tools. (Saw, wedges, axe, tools etc). Difference between a company faller and contract faller; more money as a contract faller … more safety as a company faller. Pick your poison.
Once as a contract faller I got placed in between two interior fallers (small trees). I was a westcoast faller (big trees). Let’s just say I felt like a babysitter for these guys. My production went down because I was constantly falling big trees for these guys. They were definitely out of their element …most trees were big in this area (Hope, BC. Cedar and Hemlock)
MountainBoy
Active member
I would get the 6" bar. I didn't even know they offered an 8" bar but that would reduce your battery run time and, while it might be useful in a pinch, it wouldn't be worth the hit to the battery life the other 98% of the time. And, if you need more than 6" of bar, it's the wrong tool for the job anyway.
While I agree that longer bars are generally safer, except for the extra fatigue the extra weight (while carrying them and handling them out of the cut causes operators), I think when you get down to ultra-short bars like this mini-Milwaulkee, the story reverses. A longer bar would make it more dangerous to use one-handed which is the real beauty of this saw.
Now what I would really like is a mini-electric chainsaw that had a cut-off valve for the automatic oiler so the bar oil wouldn't mark its territory with a large puddle if the saw was left in the wrong orientation.
MountainBoy
Active member
Warning: Lots of boring tree and chainsaw stuff follows, mostly unrelated to eMTB, don't read!I’m riding by this blowdown again today so I’ll try to take a picture of the stump. You’ve got me curious
Yeah, tree species are tricky without the cones and needles to go by. There are around 6 different recognized genetic varieties of Douglas Fir but, as far as I know, the differences are relatively minor, especially considering we live in the same part of the world. I've always known Douglas Fir Is not actually even a fir tree (it has pine cones), was always told it's in the pine family, but in recent years I learned it's actually a unique origin (that doesn't exist separately from "Douglas Fir") that probably is most closely related to pines millions of years ago. It's certainly a fascinating species the more one learns about it (and my favorite kind of wood for a multitude of purposes).
The bark is tricky to use to identify Douglas Fir because it morphs so much as the tree enters mid-age and there is quite a bit of variety in terms of how gnarled the bark is at different sizes. But I've never seen a DF that didn't have a pronounced orange color to the wood chips or one with such dense branching at that size. Also, there is something about the gradations of the growth rings that just screams "not Douglas Fir" but I can't really define what it is, just the "look". I'm talking about the appearance of each individual ring. I'm not enough of of an expert to even hazard a guess what specie I think it is, just that I would be shocked if it were a Doug Fir.
I have limited experience with battery-electric chainsaws, only the M12 Fuel mini-Milwaukee and the Dewalt 20V Max XR with a 12" bar. What I can say is the Milwaulkee impresses while the DeWalt does not. Not only does it not have the power or run-time I expected (and I have used it with various DeWalt batteries up to 10Ah), but the motor and chain do not have the smoothness I expected. I think it has a skip-tooth chain (at least the cutting teeth are not very dense) so that might be part of the problem, but the whole tool just feels cheap when using it. Yeah, it works, it just doesn't feel good.The smaller handheld battery operated saws are nice. 6”-8” Makita, Dewalt, Milwaukee …I don’t know which one is better. I’m in the Milwaukee eco system for batteries so my tools can interchange. I just need a bigger 12amp battery for the chainsaw. (Bigger is better apparently
I've never been a professional faller/logger but I've used a wide variety of small saws through my life, mostly firewood cutting and occasional storm cleanup and land maintenance. The first one I bought new was a Stihl 026 in 1996, a pro-grade 50cc saw that has performed admirably for 27 years doing a wide variety of work, often pulling a 18" or 20" bar while buried in Douglas Fir.
I probably should have bought another saw in the 60-70cc class but the little trooper pulled so well I just made do. I'm usually cutting in the National Forest, and I'm not allowed to cut standing timber or anything bigger than 36" in diameter, but I've never bothered to inquire if that measurement includes the bark or not. On a large Doug Fir it makes quite a difference. The thing has been run hot for hours on end bucking logs bigger than its class (I often have to figure out how to make an 18" bar reach the middle of the tree, cutting from both sides) and it just keeps on going. About the time it was starting to look well used, about 7 years into its life, it started singing harder than ever. It was in its sweet spot. Finally, two years ago I noticed it had slightly fallen off its peak and was cutting about the same as it did when it was new.
The only breakdown it's had was the fuel tank pickup hose failed and started sucking air. Replaced that for $15 and no problems since. I leave fuel in it year-round, most of it has 10% ethanol. It runs three bars depending, a 16", 18" or a 20" and always a full-house 3/8" chain without those pesky anti-kickback features. I always hand file the chains, prefer to do it in the woods rather than at home. Until recently, I have always mixed my own fuel mix at 50:1, making sure to not accidently hit 60:1, but never adding extra "for good measure". The last two or three years, now that time and smell is more important to me than money, I run the expensive Stihl pre-mix fuel. I LOVE the way the exhaust smells compared to gas station gas, and for the number of hours my saws run per year, the smell alone is worth it!
Three years ago, I decided I should have two saws and made an odd decision that I would repeat if I had to make the decision again. I bought another 50cc pro-grade Stihl, an odd decision for sure to not pick a different size but the 36" diameter limit, imposed by the Forest Service, meant I could always get 'er done with a 50cc saw and I just plain like a 10 lb. saw that's balanced in the hand. So now I have a MS 261 C-M (the "C-M" denotes the computerized version that adjusts the mix for altitude). I was a little skeptical of a saw with a computer in it since my old faithful MS 026 had worked so well for decades and I only twiddled the fuel/air mix screws every two or three years (whenever I thought I could get a little better performance out it) but I did occasionally adjust it when I was cutting above 3,000 feet and again when at lower altitudes, so I decided to risk the computer.
It's only been three years, but the MS 261 C-M has been flawless so far. I think I'm still breaking it in as it does seem to pull slightly harder as time goes on. It's about the same power as my 026 (and it weighs the same, within a couple of ounces). My 026 has a slightly higher chain speed and a little faster cutting in small cuts but I think the 261 has slightly more torque and, in big cuts it feels like it pulls harder. As close as I can tell it's a tie in terms of how much work I can get done per hour with either saw. The newer 261 does have noticeably better vibration dampening so I'm less likely to get "tingly nerves" at the end of a days cutting. I think I like the exhaust note of the 026 better when it's at full song but the 261 sounds pretty cool when the engine is loaded, with a deeper, slightly throatier sound.
The point here, is I can't figure out which one I like better! The old faithful that has been through a lot with me and has become like a beloved pet, or the one just starting its life. If push came to shove, I think I would be sadder if I lost the old saw, because I could just go out and buy a new 261 (and I would get the exact same saw), but the 026 is irreplaceable for all practical purposes. If you look at the used market for those saws, all you will find are highly abused examples, run by people who often didn't care or didn't know what they were doing. Most of them have been worked on by hack mechanics too. But life is good with two saws I love. Batteries would have to get pretty cheap and energy dense for me to abandon the kind of cost/power/weight ratio I can get out of these two beautiful saws. Which is odd because pure electric cars passed that point for me 5 years ago and they just keep getting better/cheaper! I think saws are behind the curve because the weight difference is not only more important with a handheld chainsaw, its also a bigger percentage of the total.
Well, that's my saw stories, I hope I didn't bore anyone too much!
Warning: More
boring tree and chainsaw stuff follows, mostly unrelated to eMTB, don't read!So I took more pics today as I stopped for a closer look. On my way up this morning I ran into a few fellow eMTB’er and told them about our conversation. They all know blowdown. One of the guys (Steve), is an active forestry engineer. He claims that it is definitely a fir.
The bark says it’s not a fir but when I bucked it the smell or fragrance was fir. The limbs are strong like a hemlock but extend out like a fir. The spacing of the growth rings can be tricky. I’ve seen thifty (wide) and tight growth rings. I think the environmental conditions will affect this (soil, water, wind, fire etc).
I never knew there were different varieties fir. I’ve only cut one type (I think). Never cut a live pine either. Most were rotten snags and probably dead for 1000’s of years. A pine snag almost killed me once …but that’s another weird story.
I always measured the diameter of a tree without the bark. Largest fir I ever fell, 9’ diameter. It was big and tall and heavy. The terrain was really steep (say bye to anything not secured). loughborough inlet, BC. As the tree was slowly falling over I had enough time to stand on the backcut, pull a cigarette out, light it…all before it hit the ground. When it hit the ground, I thought great, now I’ll buck it. It slowly started moving, then it turned downhill. There was no stopping. When it hit a stump, the stump exploded. As it wiggled downward, and de-limbed itself, it picked up speed. I watched the tops of trees in a leave patch wiggle around. I think it eventually hit the ocean/inlet…no longer my concern. Whoever recovered that fir made a lot of money.
Largest tree; 14’ diameter. Red cedar.
Biggest push; 5 hemlock and balsam in a semi-circle. My partner videotaped that one.
Heaviest; 10’ red cedar leaning out of bounds and towards a logging bridge. A Scaler video’d that one for me. Took over an hour before it hit the ground …perfectly in the pocket. I had an audience for that…they thought I would screwup …but they cheered instead.
Oldest; Yellow Cedar 1900 years old. The new engineers counted those rings with pins and a magnifying glass.
I could go on and on with some crazy stories. My wife just rolls her eyes probably cause she’s heard it many times. The understanding amongst west coast fallers was mutual and they would immediately become your friend when met. Probably similar to soldiers.
Safety was a priority for me and still is. The new saws are just as dangerous as the old saws …less vibration though. The battery saws are lite and gutless when compared to a gas’n’oil. But it does the trick when I need it to.
Always been a Stihl guy though. Love those saws.
MountainBoy
Active member
Warning: More boring tree stuff!
Yeah, but I never said it wasn't a fir, I said it wasn't a Douglas Fir, which is not really a fir tree at all (which means it is not a member of the genus Abies, as all true firs are). Other "slang" names are Douglas Pine, Oregon pine, red fir, red pine, etc. The tree was first documented by Captain Vancouver's botanist, David Douglas on an expedition visiting the PNW and Vancouver Island in 1791. Apparently, trees were not his specialty!
The USDA put out a thoroughly fascinating Research Paper on the genetics of Douglas (not a) fir here:
It's over 40 years old but it's a solid work following huge commercial interest that developed in the specie after WWII.
It wasn't the spacing of the growth rings I was referring to, but rather the density variation within each ring. I can't really define it, they just don't have the same ratio of hard to soft wood within each ring. Since it's consistent throughout the diameter of the cut, I doubt it's environmental variation. It doesn't look like any Doug fir cross section I've ever cut in the PNW, the color is the dead givaway (even though the color balance of your different shots has quite a variance). The understory in that forest looks nearly identical to many I'm familiar with here in Washington, just 30 miles away.
I doubt Canadian trees take on a Canadian accent in their growth rings or their colors, eh?
Mabman
E*POWAH Elite World Champion
- Thread starter
- #78
Looks like a piss fir.
Bjarne Butler is one of my favorite YT channels. Not sure why I really like old growth trees so much and live near a bunch in fact including the largest Sitka Spruce in the OR in their natural living state and get a kick out of seeing him throw his Husky around like it's that Milwaukee and knocking down huge timber easily and accurately while scrabbling all over the hillsides and riding in heli's every day.
I get the impression that Stihl Dog did the same thing and good on him for that. I grew up in a logging family in VT. and logged pulp, both hard and softwood, as well as saw and veneer logs. A friend of mine imported a small skyline cable yarder that he hooked onto a 60hp farm tractor and logged wetlands with it. I cut for him on several jobs. I was out in the woods and an old state forester came out and proclaimed that it looked like a horse job. I always wanted to do some steep terrain with it because that is where the goods were if you couldn't get to them with a skidder or dozer. I ended up moving out to the coast and commercial fished instead.
Bjarne Butler is one of my favorite YT channels. Not sure why I really like old growth trees so much and live near a bunch in fact including the largest Sitka Spruce in the OR in their natural living state and get a kick out of seeing him throw his Husky around like it's that Milwaukee and knocking down huge timber easily and accurately while scrabbling all over the hillsides and riding in heli's every day.
I get the impression that Stihl Dog did the same thing and good on him for that. I grew up in a logging family in VT. and logged pulp, both hard and softwood, as well as saw and veneer logs. A friend of mine imported a small skyline cable yarder that he hooked onto a 60hp farm tractor and logged wetlands with it. I cut for him on several jobs. I was out in the woods and an old state forester came out and proclaimed that it looked like a horse job. I always wanted to do some steep terrain with it because that is where the goods were if you couldn't get to them with a skidder or dozer. I ended up moving out to the coast and commercial fished instead.
Warning: more boring stories of logging not related to EMTB’s.
There was definitely a romantic quality with logging. Before I entered the industry I would see young guys riding around in brand new pickup trucks and they partied hard after a paycheque.
When I started there were 400 Union guys in our camp( 1 of three camps in our area) . 80 of them were fallers. (Mac-Blo). I became a Union Member with the IWA (National Woodworkers of America.) my seniority was #398. That was the early 80’s. I retired as #8 in seniority and went contract falling for a few years before I was forced into retirement because of medical issues. Along the way I picked up various tickets and certificates related to logging and falling.
I met lots of characters in my career but two always stuck out, and I’ve seen things that I wish I could un-see.
“Little Billy”. What a character! He was 5’ 4” tall, 64 years old and had been falling since his teens. I got partnered up with him for a few months but he had a reputation of being dangerous to himself and a falling partner. I had to be careful. Little Billy was Scottish and never married. Toughest little f**ker I ever met. Monday morning’s I would ask how his weekend was? Hookers and coke…and was usually broke $
. He would dye his hair bright red too. I can never explain how he made it for that many years. Little Billy was very lucky.
Another guy, Kerry, became a contract faller. Our careers somewhat paralleled each other but he was always a contract faller so I never worked with him. But the walls of his home were covered with framed pictures of himself sitting in front of an undercut on a big tree …sometimes laying in the undercut. He couldn’t go through a checkout line at a grocery store without telling everyone that he was a faller. I’ve visited Kerry in the hospital a few times because of falling accidents.
Helicopters were our taxi as altitudes became higher. Some of these pilots were retired Vietnam Veterans. Man could they fly. I made the mistake once of saying to the pilot “let’s see what this baby’s got”. It was just him and I. I think part of me is still out there …but the trip down the river was friggen amazing. The river water would swirl behind us as he zig-zagged. I wish there was music playing in my ear. It was frightening and fun at the same time.
People would ask me; “How many trees do you fall in a day?”
It depends.
Now I’m asked; How many miles will your battery last”?
It depends.
There was definitely a romantic quality with logging. Before I entered the industry I would see young guys riding around in brand new pickup trucks and they partied hard after a paycheque.
When I started there were 400 Union guys in our camp( 1 of three camps in our area) . 80 of them were fallers. (Mac-Blo). I became a Union Member with the IWA (National Woodworkers of America.) my seniority was #398. That was the early 80’s. I retired as #8 in seniority and went contract falling for a few years before I was forced into retirement because of medical issues. Along the way I picked up various tickets and certificates related to logging and falling.
I met lots of characters in my career but two always stuck out, and I’ve seen things that I wish I could un-see.
“Little Billy”. What a character! He was 5’ 4” tall, 64 years old and had been falling since his teens. I got partnered up with him for a few months but he had a reputation of being dangerous to himself and a falling partner. I had to be careful. Little Billy was Scottish and never married. Toughest little f**ker I ever met. Monday morning’s I would ask how his weekend was? Hookers and coke…and was usually broke $
. He would dye his hair bright red too. I can never explain how he made it for that many years. Little Billy was very lucky. Another guy, Kerry, became a contract faller. Our careers somewhat paralleled each other but he was always a contract faller so I never worked with him. But the walls of his home were covered with framed pictures of himself sitting in front of an undercut on a big tree …sometimes laying in the undercut. He couldn’t go through a checkout line at a grocery store without telling everyone that he was a faller. I’ve visited Kerry in the hospital a few times because of falling accidents.
Helicopters were our taxi as altitudes became higher. Some of these pilots were retired Vietnam Veterans. Man could they fly. I made the mistake once of saying to the pilot “let’s see what this baby’s got”. It was just him and I. I think part of me is still out there …but the trip down the river was friggen amazing. The river water would swirl behind us as he zig-zagged. I wish there was music playing in my ear. It was frightening and fun at the same time.
People would ask me; “How many trees do you fall in a day?”
It depends.
Now I’m asked; How many miles will your battery last”?
It depends.
Moving a lot of dirt on this trail
Almost a 20km round trip to this area. With the help of a few I’ve designed this trail for eMTB’s. An ambitious project it is. Nice fast descents and a rideable climb with many switchbacks. This could be the only bridge necessary.
Found some downed suitable stringers that I dragged in.
12’ cedar stringer. Was a little lighter than the hemlock stringer.
Sleepers and stringers ready for measuring.
Finally leveled and secured. Ready for some decking. Cut out pockets in the sleepers to fine-tune the level.
When I got home this guy and his little friend (both males)were walking in my backyard. My dog went nuts. He was 350-400lbs I think. He thought I was gonna feed him.
Almost a 20km round trip to this area. With the help of a few I’ve designed this trail for eMTB’s. An ambitious project it is. Nice fast descents and a rideable climb with many switchbacks. This could be the only bridge necessary.
Found some downed suitable stringers that I dragged in.
12’ cedar stringer. Was a little lighter than the hemlock stringer.
Sleepers and stringers ready for measuring.
Finally leveled and secured. Ready for some decking. Cut out pockets in the sleepers to fine-tune the level.
When I got home this guy and his little friend (both males)were walking in my backyard. My dog went nuts. He was 350-400lbs I think. He thought I was gonna feed him.
A piss fir? Another species I’m not familiar with …unless it’s just pulp.
Those Sitka Spruce can be friggen huge. I’ve never felled a big one like that. Not too many in our area either. (Northern Vancouver Island). But mid-island (Carmanah Valley, Port Albert) sits the tallest Sitka Spruce. I’ve never seen it and the location is secret. Only seen pictures but I’m sure there’s lots of cameras in the area.
MountainBoy
Active member
I think there is a taller documented Sitka Spruce in California:
Sitka Spruce in Redwood National Park, Redwood National Park, California, United States
I visited an amazing Sitka Spruce forest outside of Sitka, AK between fishing openings. It left an impression because every tree looked perfectly straight and there was about 100 feet of straight trunks before the branches started. I had never seen anything like it.
Sounds like a Fir patch I was in for over 6 months. 260’-290’ high. Perfectly clear until the canopy started. 5” of moss on the ground and barely a stick out of place. A fire had gone thru the area about 400+ years before. Almost made the “200’ Club” but was 4’ short( where it broke) . I wished I had a board stretcher with me . Oh well.
. Oh well.
Yeah, this has me curious now. I’m gonna take a pic of the needles and maybe someone could identify it. Next week when I ride by. Smelt like a fir though and not a pissy smell. Hemlock can smell bad sometimes also.
Those limbs. 🫣
Spears of Destiny .....
2WHLFUN
Active member
Here’s my mobile trail maintenance setup
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